“The signaling is clear, there’s a suggestion that Google could be treated as a utility,” said Pablo Ibanez Colomo, associate professor of law at the London School of Economics. “If Google is an essential facility then all of the other obligations will follow. Access is essential and Google could be regulated like a telecoms operator.”Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Prohibitively costlyVestager said she wants to start a debate and that the EU’s current investigations into Google’s mobile phone software and advertising contracts don’t question whether Google is essential. The debate comes at time when there’s public outcry about the “the dominating influence” of internet platforms on public opinion and how personal data is being used, said Yves Botteman, a lawyer at Steptoe & Johnson in Brussels.

Source: The Star April 27, 2018 06:35 UTC